I wasn’t planning to head to Burning Man this year, but a friend awesomely gave me a free ticket, so I shall unexpectedly be there. (You know who you are. Thanks again.) I’m leaving today.

If you or someone you know will be at the Black Rock Desert, then find me on the playa and I’ll totally give you signed paperback copy of either The S&M Feminist or Confessions Of A Pickup Artist Chaser (while supplies last, I guess …). If I’m wearing lipstick, I’ll even put a lipstick kiss on it.

A clue for locating me: Ceci n’est pas une pipe dream. Or you could just, you know, look up Clarisse in Playa Info. Assuming I get around to entering my location.

Upcoming Stuff!

* I am really, really excited to announce that I’ve been developing an anthology on the topic of rape in gaming with the legendary tech journalist Julian Dibbell. (Julian’s article “A Rape In Cyberspace” is a landmark; he was one of the first smart writers to take on Internet culture. I’m honored to be working with him.) Hopefully, the anthology will be out in late September. I am, however, feeling stymied and uncertain about the cover design. If you or someone you know would be able to design an awesome ebook cover for an anthology about rape in gaming, please get in touch!

* I was hoping to finish and release my erotic romance, Switch Seductress, previous to departing for Burning Man. Unfortunately some technical concerns intervened. So: look for Switch Seductress in early September. In the meantime, here’s the description for you:

Kara, a beautiful escort-turned-history-professor, has married the man of her dreams. He’s an ethical, dedicated activist who loves to torture her sweetly — and loves ordering her to seduce and destroy his political enemies from Corporate America. But Kara is falling for one handsome corporate target. Can she keep her hot dominant husband, her hot submissive lover, and stick it to the Man?

Burning Man is off the grid, so there’ll be no Internet for me while I’m out there. For the next week and a half, prolific commenter Infra has generously agreed to moderate comments; I figured I could rely on him because he’s left the most comments around here lately, and he seems like he won’t be driven power-mad by the responsibility. (Right Infra?) (Also, thanks.)

Looking forward to your Sita story.
Just in case anyone hasn’t heard of it, Nina Paley made an interesting animated movie version, combining it with an autobiographic part and 1920s Blues. It’s available for free (and CC licensed) at http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/

I’d heard of burning man before, but I never knew what of was about until I looked it up just now. I’m curious as to how well the event works for neuro-atypical individuals and for the extremely socially challenged. I’ve yet to meet an organization or group of people who have been able to completely remove in-group/out-group behaviors, and I’m always suspicious of any claims that something is completely inclusive.

In my experience, such organizations merely establish an informal, de-facto social hierarchy that may or may not be governed by alternative values to the mainstream.

I assume you’re already there and off the grid, but I’ll do my best to find you. Add this as another reason why BM is so freaking awesome.

@Pellaeon It’s not all-inclusive in the sense that a neuro-atypical person will fit in with the “community”. But there are very few norms to adhere to, and there will be a wide range of people represented. The common denominator as I see it, is that participants have an open mind. So even if not everyone will be inclusive, at least it won’t be hostile.

I like the art in Sita Sings the Blues but I’m not so into it overall … I think primarily because it’s not my kind of music. But it’s a really cool idea and I’ve always respected Nina Paley’s artistry, for sure.

About Clarisse

On the other hand, I also wrote a different book about the subculture of men who trade tips on how to seduce and manipulate women:

I give great lectures on my favorite topics. I've spoken at a huge variety of places — academic institutions like the University of Chicago; new media conventions like South By Southwest; museums like the Museum of Sex; and lots of others.

I established myself by creating this blog. I don't update the blog much anymore, but you can still read my archives. My best writing is available in my books, anyway.

I've lived in Swaziland, Greece, Chicago, and a lot of other places. I've worked in game design, public health, and bookstores. Now I live in San Francisco, and I make my living with content strategy and user research.